Free cancer screening event at Allegheny General Hospital set for April 15
Part of its series of monthly free cancer screening events, Allegheny Health Network’s next clinic will be held April 15 at Allegheny General Hospital.
Registration is open through April 7.
Put on by AHN to prioritize early detection, the screenings are free to anyone, regardless of insurance status or primary care location, and cover multiple cancer types, including breast, prostate, cervical, colorectal, lung and more.
A total of 97 abnormal screenings were caught at the two previous screening events held this year, per an AHN spokesperson, out of 420 screenings.
Cancer is expected to kill more than a half-million people in the U.S. this year.
Pennsylvania doesn’t fare well when compared to other states: It ranks 15th nationwide, in 2020 data on cancer death rates. The most common cancer in America is breast cancer, with lung and bronchus cancer being the most deadly, according to 2019 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and 2023 data from the American Cancer Society.
Early detection of cancer can yield better outcomes for patients who can jump-start treatment and reduce the likelihood of the cancer spreading to other areas of the body.
“Thanks to the many advances in cancer technology and treatments, a cancer prognosis is often much more favorable today than it was years ago, especially if the disease is caught in early stages,” said Dr. David Bartlett, chair of the AHN Cancer Institute.
“With nearly 2 million new cancer cases expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year, we hope our preventative measures can put a large dent in the overall cancer mortality rates,” he added.
To register for the April 15 event at Allegheny General’s Cancer Center, 314 E. North Ave. on the North Side, call 412-359-6665.
Other upcoming free cancer screenings are scheduled for May 20, at AHN Cancer Institute - West Penn, 4800 Friendship Ave., in Bloomfield, and June 17 at the Erie East Side Health + Wellness Pavilion, 4950 Buffalo Road in Erie.